Jalil Anibaba (; born October 19, 1988) is an American former professional

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

player who last played in

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...

for

Columbus Crew The Columbus Crew, formerly known as Columbus Crew SC, is an American professional soccer club based in Columbus, Ohio. The Crew competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference and began play in 1996 as one ...

. He is currently a club ambassador for

Nashville SC Nashville Soccer Club is a Major League Soccer team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The team began play in the league in 2020 as a continuation of the USL club of the same name and plays its home matches at Geodis Park. It is principally owned ...

Career

College and amateur

Anibaba grew up in

Davis, California Davis is the most populous city in Yolo County, California. Located in the Sacramento Valley region of Northern California, the city had a population of 66,850 in 2020, not including the on-campus population of the University of California, Da ...

where he attended Davis Senior High School, where in his senior season he was the California Gatorade Soccer Player of the year, and played

college soccer College soccer is played by teams composed of soccer players who are enrolled in colleges and universities. It is very prominent in United States, Japan, South Korea, Canada, and as well as in South Africa and the Philippines. The United Kingd ...

Santa Clara University Santa Clara University is a private Jesuit university in Santa Clara, California. Established in 1851, Santa Clara University is the oldest operating institution of higher learning in California. The university's campus surrounds the historic Mis ...

for the first three years of his college career. In 2009, Anibaba captained the Broncos, who were selected for the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) All-West Region team. For his senior season he transferred to the

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the multi-campus public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the NC School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referred to as the UNC Sy ...

, where he won numerous awards, including NSCAA Second Team All-America, NSCAA First Team All-Region, First Team All-ACC, ACC All-Tournament Team and 2007 WCC Freshman of the Year. Anibaba made twelve appearances for

USL Premier Development League USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional developmental soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States and Canada, forming part of the United States soccer league syste ...

club

Carolina Dynamo North Carolina Fusion U-23, formerly known as Carolina Dynamo, is an American soccer team based in Greensboro, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1993, the team plays in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. The ...

during their 2010 season.

Professional

On January 14, 2011, Anibaba was drafted #9 overall in the

2011 MLS SuperDraft The 2011 MLS SuperDraft was the twelfth annual SuperDraft presented by Major League Soccer. It was held on January 13, 2011 in Baltimore, Maryland, during the 2011 NSCAA Convention at the Baltimore Convention Center. The 2011 SuperDraft consiste ...

by the Chicago Fire. He made his professional debut on March 19, 2011, in Chicago's first game of the 2011 MLS season, a 1–1 tie with

FC Dallas FC Dallas is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The club competes as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference in Major League Soccer (MLS). The franchise be ...

, and scored his first professional goal – a 40-yard screamer – on March 30, 2011 in a 2–1 victory over the

Colorado Rapids The Colorado Rapids are an American professional soccer club based in the Denver metropolitan area. The Rapids compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Founded in 1995, as part of the Anschutz Corporation, la ...

in the qualifying round of the

Lamar Hunt US Open Cup The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, commonly known as the U.S. Open Cup (USOC), is a knockout cup competition in men's soccer in the United States of America. It is the oldest ongoing national soccer competition in that country. The 2023 U.S. Ope ...

. Anibaba would go on to tally two more goals in the 2011 season finale, heading home two strikes in the space of 19 minutes in a 3–2 win vs.

on October 22, 2011. Anibaba closed out his first season in MLS setting a club record for regular season appearances by a rookie with 29 and had his March 30 strike vs. Colorado voted the team's "Goal of the Year" by the team's fans following the campaign. After three seasons with Chicago, Anibaba was traded in January 2014 with the #8 pick in the

2014 MLS SuperDraft The 2014 MLS SuperDraft was the fifteenth MLS SuperDraft, SuperDraft presented by Major League Soccer. The first two rounds of the four round draft took place on January 16, 2014, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at the Philadelphia Convention Center ...

and a conditional third-round selection in the

2015 MLS SuperDraft The 2015 MLS SuperDraft was the sixteenth SuperDraft conducted by Major League Soccer. The SuperDraft is held each year in conjunction with the annual National Soccer Coaches Association of America convention. The 2015 convention was held Januar ...

Seattle Sounders FC Seattle Sounders Football Club is an American professional men's soccer club based in Seattle. The Sounders compete as a member of the Western Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). The club was established on November 13, 2007, and began ...

in exchange for the #13 pick in the 2014 SuperDraft, defender Jhon Kennedy Hurtado, and defender

Patrick Ianni Patrick Edward Joseph Ianni (born June 15, 1985) is a retired American soccer defender. He played 9 seasons in MLS for the Houston Dynamo, Seattle Sounders FC, and Chicago Fire. Career College and amateur Ianni played high school soccer fo ...

. On December 10, 2014, Anibaba was selected by

Orlando City SC Orlando City SC is an American professional soccer club in Orlando, Florida, that competes as a member of the Eastern Conference in Major League Soccer (MLS). Orlando City SC began play in 2015 as the 21st franchise in MLS, succeeding the USL ...

with the fifth pick in the

2014 MLS Expansion Draft The 2014 MLS Expansion Draft was a draft for the Major League Soccer expansion teams New York City FC and Orlando City SC that took place between November 19 and December 10, 2014. The first two rounds of the draft (which were known as the 2014 MLS ...

. After the draft, Anibaba was shipped to

Sporting Kansas City Sporting Kansas City, often shortened to Sporting KC, is an American men's professional Association football, soccer club based in the Kansas City metropolitan area. The administrative offices are located in Downtown Kansas City, Missouri, and t ...

as part of the trade for Aurelien Collin. Anibaba was dropped by Sporting Kansas City on November 25, 2015. Anibaba was released by Kansas City at the end of the 2015 MLS season and later signed with the

Houston Dynamo Houston Dynamo FC (formerly officially, but still commonly, called the Houston Dynamo) is an American professional soccer club based in Houston. The Dynamo compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Establi ...

. His option was declined following the 2017 season; he signed with the

New England Revolution The New England Revolution is an American professional soccer club based in the Greater Boston area that competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), in the Eastern Conference of the league. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, having compet ...

in the 2018 preseason. Anibaba quickly became a fan-favorite in New England, partly due to his passionate celebrations following successful blocks and tackles. On March 30, 2019, Anibaba scored his only goal for the Revs in a 2–1 victory over Minnesota United FC. On November 19, 2019, Anibaba was selected by MLS expansion side

in the

2019 MLS Expansion Draft The 2019 MLS Expansion Draft was a special draft for the Major League Soccer expansion teams Inter Miami CF and Nashville SC that was held on November 19, 2019. On October 6, 2019, Inter Miami CF won the coin toss for the Expansion Priority Draf ...

. Following the 2021 season Anibaba's contract expired with Nashville. On January 14, 2022, Anibaba signed a 1-year deal as a free agent with

. On Monday, February 13, Anibaba announced his retirement from professional soccer, after which he was named the first-ever club ambassador for Nashville SC.

Personal life

Anibaba was born in the United States and is of Nigerian descent. His brother Jammil and cousin Sule played

during the 2000s for the

UC Davis Aggies The UC Davis Aggies (also referred to as the Ags or Aggies) are the athletic teams that represent the University of California, Davis. Seventeen of the school's 25 intercollegiate sports - baseball, men's basketball, men's cross country, men's ...

, while half brother Josh Reese plays

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

for

Career statistics

Club

References

External links

* *
U.S. soccer profile

{{DEFAULTSORT:Anibaba, Jalil 1988 births Living people American people of Yoruba descent American men's soccer players American sportspeople of Nigerian descent Men's association football defenders North Carolina Fusion U23 players Chicago Fire FC draft picks Chicago Fire FC players Columbus Crew players Davis Senior High School (California) alumni Footballers at the 2007 Pan American Games Houston Dynamo FC players Major League Soccer players New England Revolution players North Carolina Tar Heels men's soccer players Sportspeople from Davis, California Sportspeople from Fontana, California Soccer players from San Bernardino County, California Santa Clara Broncos men's soccer players Seattle Sounders FC players Sporting Kansas City players United States men's under-20 international soccer players United States men's youth international soccer players USL League Two players Yoruba sportspeople Nashville SC players Pan American Games competitors for the United States